The time is now for everybody to speak up
By now you must be thinking, “Del threatens to stop posting on social media when he feels the need for attention.”
That’s not true (although I do like attention. Feel free to give me all the attention you want).
When I threaten to stop posting on social media it’s because I genuinely don’t want to do it anymore – at least at that moment.
I have a problem with social media – I think it’s a poison. On the list of bad ideas it ranks up there with television and atomic bombs. I prefer my mass media to be vetted by gatekeepers who winnow out the stupidity and ignorance. Social media allow any moron with a keyboard to speak on an equal footing with professionals who’ve earned advanced degrees and spent their lives developing unmatched expertise.
The idea that “every voice is equal” is bullshit. Some people should never be heard. I say that as a person who lives and dies by the First Amendment – some people should NEVER be heard.
Yet if I want to communicate with my fellow Americans – and that’s something I’ve been doing for so long it’s baked into my identity – I’m forced to use social media. That’s where people are, so that’s where I am.
That comes at a price. The criticism is relentless. I’m attacked for my age, the fact that I’m gay, my political beliefs, even my appearance. It’s childish and I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it does.
Also, I don’t want to be part of the problem. A friend told me that’s exactly what I am – part of the problem. He said that without ever having seen any of my videos, so I’m not sure how much credence I should give his opinion. I mean, I hope I’m not part of the problem. I try hard to be fair and accurate.
I’m always surprised to hear that people find value in what I say. I’m not well educated, I’m not smart, and I’m sure as hell not good-looking. But I do care, and I care deeply, about what’s happening in this country. I hate what that asshole in the White House and his supporters are doing to America. I hate knowing he will probably get away with it.
I’ve been talking to large groups of people for going on five decades. Between my old Tennis Time column, my weekly newspaper column, my fiction, and now my social media posts, I’ve acquired a very big mouth – and the need to deploy that mouth. It’s my habit to say what’s on my mind.
Yes, the negativity and attacks get me down sometimes and I have to step away, AND tell people I’m stepping away, because that’s what I do – talk to large groups of people. But I always come back because as I said, that’s what I do – talk to large groups of people.
Please indulge me my snits. With what’s happening in this country, the need is critical and the time is now for everybody to speak up.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .